left and right

phrase

: in a very quick and uncontrolled way
She has been spending money left and right.
: in all directions
He was calling out names left and right.
The police were stopping cars left and right.

Examples of left and right in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
If refs are calling PI left and right all game long, then that should probably be a PI, too. — Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026 Meanwhile, both bars—one near the entrance and the other tucked away outside—drew a steady crowd all night, with bartenders whipping up espresso martinis left and right to keep partygoers energized. — Kelsey Stewart, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2026 Around the world, the populist left and right are rejecting it. — Jason Thurlkill, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026 Despite leading the team with 9 total tackles, Evans gave up passes left and right. — Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for left and right

Rhymes for left and right

See All Rhymes for left and right

Browse Nearby Words

left
left and right
left-bank
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Left and right.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/left%20and%20right. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All